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By: Sam Meyerkopf / @HoopLikeDrazen

It’s been an eventful couple of days at the Nike Hoop Summit practices.  The players have started to pick up and become more physical while guys seem to be getting more comfortable and vocal.  I caught up with a few guys after practice to ask about their Hoop Summit experience, what they’ve been working on in their play, and what their seasons in Europe have been like.

Livio Jean-Charles

Jean-Charles has been a super hustler all week and was one of the friendliest guys to talk to.  Seems like someone who really enjoys the smaller facets of the game.  He talks about what he’s enjoyed at Hoop Summit, his transition from the three to the four, and how to hustle.

Sergey Karasev

Karasev is one of the most highly touted players of this group, already having produced at a really high level for Triumph Lyubertsy in both the VTB League and the EuroCup.  He has the purest outside stroke of anyone here and he elaborated on his role in this team and what he’s working on to become NBA ready.

Nikola Ivanovic

Ivanovic has been playing off the ball this week and today ran a decent amount of point guard.  As I semi-incorrectly pointed out yesterday calling him a “wing” for this team, he wants to be known as a point guard. He hit a few outside shots today, was much more vocal, and was very active on defense.  Let him explain himself below.

Tomas Dimsa

Caught up with Dimsa after a whirlwind day for him.  He flys in from Lithuania and as he says, he doesn’t like to fly alone, came in and jumped right into a double practice day.  Dimsa seems to be a really upbeat player who lives off getting after it on defense and attacking the rim.  Here he is talking about his experience so far.

Scrimmage

Just to give you an idea of what the Portland Trail Blazer practice facility looks like and what these players look like in a run, here are a couple peaks at some scrimmage footages.